Love Through the Storm
by Tsuki11Shiro
Summary: Shiori reflects on her past with Hitsugaya, remembering a storm that began their story. Sequel to The Sweet Secrets of Love. HitsugayaxOC oneshot


The thunder was growling loudly over the world. Heavy raindrops were beating on the roofs. Flashes illuminated the dark night, weird shadows thrown on the ground. The wind was howling through the streets as the rain was getting stronger.

A young woman was shaking, standing in the window. Her gaze was directed toward the twitching lights in the sky. As always, this play in the sky was drawing her in. It was summer, a hot and muggy summer. She hated this season, too many bad memories she had of this season.

She hated thunderstorms as well. It was all the crashing thunder, the immense flashing that divided the sky. Even in the Soul Society they looked disconcerting.

Also here she wasn't able to find the sleep. Just like in Rukongai.

~*~

_The thunder was growling loudly over the world. Heavy raindrops were beating on the on the roofs. Flashes illuminated the dark night, throwing weird shadows over the ground. The wind was howling through the streets as the rain was getting stronger._

_A small girl was shaking, sitting on her futon, her light eyes torn open, full of fear. The rain was drumming on the porch, the thunder crashed. The child pulled her legs closer to her body, pressing her face in the white material of her short trousers. Her whole body was trembling, her small fingers were clenching on the thin cover. _

_Shaking, she wiped the tears off her cheeks away. A quiet sobbing resounded through the space, lost in the darkness. Flashes twitched in the sky, painting down creepy figures to the walls._

_The small girl was afraid with gruesome fear. And nobody was there to protect her. She was in the Rukongai, the ghost town, hard life, and starving children. And nobody would defeat the shadow figures, even if they awoke to life and rushed at her._

_Suddenly, a scratching noise was heard, making her turn round immediately. She bit her lower lip trying not to scream. No, she didn't want to be seen as a coward. Not in front of Tatsukichi and Ayumi and surely not in front of **him**._

_In the bright light of a renewed flash, she saw a small boy standing in the door frame. As calm as possible she drew in a relieved deep breath._

_"Shiori …,"said a somber but irritated voice of the small white haired boy._

_"Toshiro…," she whispered only quietly, sniffed and wiped away the remaining tears. _

_"When will you come to bed?! You won't sleep here, I know you. Come on! Tomorrow we wanted to go out to the field and then you will doze off again over the strawberries and I'll have to pick everything alone, only because you seen ghosts on the walls!" _

_Sighing, he toddles in the room, took her small hand and pulled her with him through the dark hall in his room. An old woman lay snoring next to a window, undisturbed from the loud thunder which still resounded._

_"Be quiet, Baa-chan is sleeping in contrast to you!" he hissed to her. _

_Carefully, the small girl nods as she laye down next to her small white haired friend. She snuggled up in the cover, inhaled the reassuring smell of the boy._

_"Nothing will happen to you, I swear," he murmured, before the late sleep overcame him._

~*~

A flash illuminated the pitch black night sky. The thunderstorm was still going on in Soul Society, bouncing and screaming through the sky. The puddles on the ground were getting bigger and bigger and it looked as if the sky is crying.

A young woman was trembling, standing behind a window, looking at the twitching lights in the sky. Even here, in the Soul Society, they looked disconcerting.

A door was pushed open, as a young man stood standing in the door frame. Surprised, she turned, clenching her fingers in her white Yukata. Shivers were hunting down her back, as she looked into his big turquoise eyes.

"Shiori…," sighed the young man. "Will you finally come to bed?"

She smiled lightly, embarrassed and scared. However, instead of an irritated sigh that she would have heard earlier, the boy walked over to her, putting his arms around her shoulders and pressed her to him, inhaling her sweet scent.

"It's only a thunderstorm," he quietly whispered in her ear, as he breathed light butterfly kisses down her neck. A shiver ran down her back as his warm breath hit her skin.

"I know, Toshiro, I know."

"Then please come with me. The bed will get cold without you."

A quiet, clear laughter escaped her lips and she leaned against the body that was holding her now, protecting her from the shadow figures on the walls. She threw one last look at the streets, on the puddles in which the garish light of the flashes was reflected.

Then she is pulled away, following her lover.

Shiori snuggled up in the cover, inhaling the reassuring smell of the white haired. She remembered well the moments when she laid in his arms, her body pressed to his, so that the fear would fly away.

However, now he was holding onto her, putting his arms around her. She felt his warm hands on her skin. Nothing more remained in his icy look, his cold radiation, not towards her.

With her, he emits an unknown warmth and love and she was glad to be the chosen one, to be the persons he shows his other side to.

He embraced her; let her feel his love. He pulled her to himself, pressing his face in her long hair that fell like silk over her shoulders.

The thunder was still growling. The rain was still beating down on Soul Society and the flashes were still illuminating the dark night.

"Nothing will happen to you, I swear …"

"I know." Shiori smiled at him, a light glow in her eyes.

He smiled only a smile that destroyed every flight of fear. His hand glided over her cheek carefully as he bent down a little, placing a soft butterfly-like kiss on her lips.

The thunder was growling.

However, in his arms, it did not sound so scary at all.

It was only because of love.


End file.
